Morning Workshops

After the morning presentations, conference participants convened in small regionally organized groups to share their experiences with barriers that inhibit collaborative activities and strategies to overcome these barriers. A number of barriers were identified.

Turf issues. Barriers resulting from turf issues include competition over credit, lack of coordination and interaction among agencies, an unwillingness to try new approaches, and lack of a lead agency to initiate collaborative activities.
Limited resources. The lack of a full-time injury prevention person within a health department can be an obstacle to interagency collaboration, as can program funding criteria that lack the flexibility to fund collaborative projects, and interagency competition over the resources.
Differing orientations. All agencies have competing internal priorities, which affect their commitment to collaborative projects. Differences in perspective and jargon can also inhibit cooperation, as can stereotypes of other agencies (such as the stereotype that public health agencies are only interested in education or that highway safety agencies are only interested in enforcement).
Priority setting. Many agencies determine their program emphasis based on the availability of funding, rather than on the data. There is also a perception on the part of some public health agencies that there is no need for them to engage in the prevention of motor vehicle-related injuries, because it is the responsibility of traffic safety agencies.
Data and data linkage. Obsolete or inflexible hardware and inconsistencies in the types of data collected by different agencies can make it difficult for agencies to use or compare data.
Public attitudes. There are a number of public attitudes that make highway safety a difficult task. The public has a high tolerance for motor vehicle crashes and injuries (as opposed to injuries caused by violence, for example). The alcohol lobby is a major obstacle. The autonomy of local jurisdictions often makes it difficult for state agencies to influence what takes place locally.

The workshop participants also identified strategies that are useful for overcoming these barriers.

Encourage support from the top. Educate federal agencies and state agency administrators about the value of collaboration and the need for federal incentive funding for coalition building. Educate state block grant committees so more funds will be allocated to injury prevention. Include state heath departments in planning and implementing a state's Safety Management System.
Pay attention to the logistics of collaboration. Collaborations need to start small. Agencies need to commit themselves to attending regular meetings, learning one another's language, sharing data, and serving on one another's boards and task forces. An identified liaison to the other department is essential. Agencies should seek joint funding and fund joint projects.
Agree on common problems and finding common solutions. Agencies need to share one another's injury prevention plans, take comprehensive approaches to problems that address everyone's issues, develop common legislative strategies, conduct joint trainings, and involve the media.
Improve data sharing. Agencies need to collect better data, share data, and analyze it for use in program planning and evaluation. The use of E-codes and Crash Outcome Evaluation System (CODES) projects should be expanded.
Work together across disciplines and at both the regional and local levels. Joint assessment, data sharing, and networking is needed among states in a region, between state and local agencies, and among local agencies and groups. Community traffic safety programs offer an excellent opportunity to build collaboration at the local level. As many agencies and groups as appropriate should be involved.

Building Bridges Home Page

http://www.edc.org/HHD/csn/buildbridges/partner/morningwork.html
Revised: October 28, 1996

Š1997 Education Development Center, Inc.